Nail lacquers represent a major portion of the cosmetic market. These products are used to protect and embellish the nails. Many performance expectations are required from nail lacquers, including smooth application, rapid dry time, and a lustrous appearance. Prehaps the most important parameter is wear. The significance and desirability of achieving maximum wear is apparent when the typical manicure regimen is examined. Ideally, a complete manicure consists of one coat of basecoat applied to all bare nailsites, followed by two coats of shaded lacquer, plus at least one coat of a clear topcoat. Obviously, considerable time and effort are required to complete such a treatment. In light of this rather involved procedure, it is reasonable to conclude that it is desirable to prolong the lift of the manicure as much as possible.
Many efforts have been conducted in order to maximize wear of nail lacquers. Much of this effort has been concentrated on the development of longer wearing shaded nail lacquers. Unfortunately, this is a very difficult task to accomplish. Similarly much experimentation has been performed on basecoats in order to extend wear, but this has proben very difficult.